Tag: research

Did you catch that title? “Omaha 2018.” No subtitle. In contrast to our four trips to Omaha in 2017, my hope has been that this would be our one 2018 Omaha excursion – but I knew that would largely be determined by what we found out during this trip.

About a week and a half ago, we loaded up our minivan and packed up our family of six and drove out to Omaha, where we were overdue for FangFang’s annual OI clinic visit. World-class practitioners in multiple specialties related to osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) work together in Omaha to provide a clinic experience that, to my knowledge, is unmatched.

We arrived on Tuesday night, and FangFang and I headed to the hospital on Wednesday for the testing that would give us valuable information about her growth, her bones, and her body in general. This year was a light year in that all we needed to do was a dexa scan (which measures bone density) and a collection of x-rays (that check the status of the rods she currently has placed in both femurs, both tibias, and her left humerus; show us the status of her spine; and generally look at how her bones are growing and whether there have been significant effects from any recent fractures).

The highlight of the day for us was seeing FangFang’s former foster sister, Xiao, whom she knew in China before we ever met her. Our families have stayed in touch since the girls have come home, and we hope to continue to be able to schedule their clinic visits together and maintain this relationship for them. Our children from China have so little from their pasts – these connections that we can help them keep are so special. And in each other, they each have a friend who truly understands, who is living life as a Chinese adoptee with OI. Those connections will likely be invaluable to them as they grow and begin to negotiate the world with increasing independence.

We’d actually hoped the reunion would be even larger. There is a third sweetheart, Gabby, who lived at the same foster home as FangFang and Xiao in China, and she recently came home and was scheduled for her first clinic appointment at the same time as us – but unfortunately, her older sister (also from China, also with OI) broke her femur the week before clinic, and their family was unable to travel ☹ That was such a bummer – we’d been so looking forward to seeing all of them! There are a few other families with kiddos from China who have OI with whom we hope to continue to maintain connections, as well. We’re so thankful for these sweet moments between Xiao and FangFang – even at 3 and 4, they delighted in seeing another child like them, using a wheelchair, having scars from rodding surgeries, occasionally sporting a splint – we’re going to do all we can to continue to facilitate these connections for our kiddos!

While FangFang and I did that testing, Matt took our other kids to a park, and once we were done, they came back for us and we all spent the rest of the afternoon playing at the park.

In an attempt at frugality, I’d booked all six of us in a standard hotel room for our time in Omaha. While it was certainly frugal, it was also rather miserable. We were all on top of each other all the time, the kids had no room to run around or play, and it was just generally an unpleasant situation. We ended up spending most of the waking hours during which we were at the hotel letting the kids watch tv, because it was our best strategy to keep the peace. And now we know. We can certainly handle standard hotel rooms for a one night stop or something of that sort, but for any extended stay, it is unwise!

We debated how to handle Thursday morning clinic – whether all of us should go, so Matt and I could both be present for all of these doctor meetings or whether it would be better for him to take the other kids to do something more entertaining, and FangFang and I could focus, undistracted, on our conversations. It would have been great to have both of us there for all of our conversations, but ultimately, we realized that as the researcher and doctor-appointment-attender parent, I was probably going to be negotiating 95% of those interactions, anyway, while Matt parented our kids, and it would probably be easier for him to parent them somewhere other than a hospital room 😉

FangFang and I were at the hospital by 7:45, and we got to chat a bit more with Xiao and her family before clinic started.

After a nurse got FangFang’s height and weight, we were taken to a room that would be our base of operations for the rest of the morning while doctors and other providers rotated around to talk with us about their individual areas of expertise as they related to FangFang.

First up, we saw Dr. Esposito and Dr. Wallace, the orthopedic surgeons. I knew that their assessment of how her bones and the rods she’s had inserted into many of them (both femurs, both tibias, and her right humerus) would largely determine whether we needed to make a planned return trip to Omaha any time this year – and, thankfully, they don’t believe that will be necessary! Of course, we may end up back there anyway – a significant fracture requiring surgery would mean a drive to Omaha for Dr. Esposito and Dr. Wallace to operate – but we at least don’t need to plan anything now! Her left femur rod is the one they have the most concern about. It was the earliest placed, and the surgery was done in China, and it will likely be the first to require revision, but they said that as long as she isn’t experiencing pain or limping, we should leave it alone. We looked at her spine, and her scoliosis is not particularly severe, and the wedging we can see on x-rays has improved in the last year, largely due to the Pamidronate treatments she receives. Essentially, everything looks pretty good from an orthopedic perspective!

We also met with a researcher for a 5-year longitudinal study being done out of Omaha, in conjunction with other research sites, collecting data about individuals with OI to use in research studies, and we’ll have FangFang start participating next year. There is not a great deal of research available related to OI, and we want to do anything we can to be part of developing that, hoping for more and better treatments in the future.

The endocrinology team was very happy with the improvements in FangFang’s bone density shown by the Dexa scan. It’s actually a bit confusing, knowing what the level of improvement was – there is a discrepancy between what the 2017 report shows as her 2017 measurements and what the 2018 report shows as her 2017 measurements, and no one was quite sure why. But, regardless, her 2018 numbers show either a 15% or a 30-40% increase over her 2017 numbers, so we’ll continue with her same level of Pamidronate treatment.

We also saw a dentist and a dietician. The dentist continues to see no OI-related issues with FangFang’s teeth, which is great news. And the dietician talked with me about our diet and what FangFang eats and what her growth trajectory looks like, and she was happy with all that we’re doing, so no changes needed there.

The physical therapist was also very pleased with what FangFang is doing and what we’re working on with our local physical therapist, which was great news! The occupational therapist recommended an OT evaluation and maybe 4-6 sessions of OT at home to work on underlying core strength and skills – grip strength, endurance, screwing and unscrewing. I’m not thrilled to add likely another appointment to our weekly routines, but it’s definitely a good idea to address these things as early as possible, so we’ll see what we can do!

Overall I was very encouraged by the clinic visit, knowing that the Pamidronate treatments are having the desired effect, that her bone density is increasing, and that we likely don’t need to return to Omaha until next year for clinic. That’s pretty much the best report we could hope for!

After clinic, Matt took the younger 3 kids back out to play at a park while Miranda and I stayed back at the hotel room. She did some math and some art while I put in a couple hours of work and then napped. Another consequence of that whole six people in one hotel room arrangement was that no one was getting great sleep!

Friday was a really good day. We’d planned to meet Xiao’s family at the zoo, just to hang out and have fun, and that we did! Another family in town for OI clinic joined us, as well, which was great! They’d traveled all the way from the Bahamas for clinic, making our 5-hour drive look like nothing! The kids loved running around and the zoo, and we’d heard great things about the it, and it did not disappoint.

It was great to have this time to consult with these amazing OI-care experts and so good to connect with other families with kiddos who have OI. We were so thankful for our time in Omaha!

Today, February 28, is Rare Disease Day – and so it seems fitting to share with you today that we’ve received some new information about the specifics of FangFang’s diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta.

With osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), it is possible to receive a clinical diagnosis or a genetic diagnosis or both. A clinical diagnosis is based on observations made by a doctor of features that are associated with osteogenesis imperfecta. FangFang has had a clinical diagnosis since the early days of her life. It was made in China and confirmed in America. There are a number of different types of OI, each associated with a different genetic mutation and each having slightly different effects, and a type can only be determined with certainty via genetic testing, but guesses can be made based on clinical presentation. Because of the specifics of her presentation, FangFang has been clinically assumed to have osteogenesis imperfecta Type IV, which is generally moderate in its severity.

Osteogenesis imperfecta itself is a rare disease. The current estimate is that approximately 25,000 – 50,000 people in America have the condition. The geographically closest person to us who has OI and whom we know lives 2 hours away. That means I rely heavily on Facebook groups and connections I’ve made online within the OI community for my learning and information about how to best parent FangFang in light of her diagnosis.

Even within the umbrella label of osteogenesis imperfecta, though, different types occur with differing frequencies. And yesterday I received a phone call informing me that, while we had all assumed FangFang’s genetics tests would yield a result of Type IV osteogenesis imperfecta, that is not actually what they showed. She, in fact, has Type IX (Type 9) OI.

There is no one else in our 2,000+ member Facebook group of parents of children with OI whose child has been diagnosed with Type 9 OI. When I asked in a larger group that is open to adults with OI, as well, the responses were the same – interest, for sure, but no one else is reporting having that same diagnosis. That’s a bit of a lonely place to be!

In a worldwide database tracking reported cases of OI, there are a grand total of 16 cases ever reported of this type 9 osteogenesis imperfecta.

This is the face of someone with a truly rare disease.

We don’t really know yet all of what this means. To be honest, we probably won’t ever know. Research into everything about osteogenesis imperfecta is still so new. The bisphosphonate treatments that FangFang receives quarterly to strengthen her bones have only been around for 20 years or so. Sometimes one drug or another works better for people with a certain type – but if there is no one else with your type, there’s no way to know until you try it. FangFang’s type is so rare and newly discovered that it isn’t even listed specifically on the OI Foundation website. Really, I expect that no one knows much about it.

I have an e-mail out to the doctor who is the most likely person in America to know anything about Type 9 OI. He is no longer officially part of FangFang’s care team in Omaha (he took another position at another hospital a few months ago), but he is a good guy, and I hope he may have some information for me.

Until then, I have resorted to consulting Dr. Google – and even Dr. Google has failed me. I spent about 2 hours yesterday searching and found next to nothing available publicly. I’m aware of its rarity, its inheritance pattern, and the gene it affects. That is all. There simply is not general information about this condition available in an easily accessible form.

And so, this week (and beyond, I’m sure), I’ll be scouring medical journal articles, to which we, thankfully, have access through Matt’s position at the university. Not being a doctor, trying to read medical journal articles is not really my preferred pastime, but I want to arm myself with all the information I can find, so I can do everything possible to obtain the best care for my daughter. I hope we’ll do alright. And I hope we can be a resource for anyone coming after us.

Meet Alison

I'm Alison, wife to one great guy and mama to four precious kiddos. My days are spent loving and caring for those 5 and anyone else God brings into my path, and as I read books and explain math, wipe noses and change diapers, teach and pray, correct and celebrate, I also contemplate and share my thoughts in this space. I'm so honored that you're here!